Marie+O'Malley

Marie O'Malley, age 36, died on January 10, 1942 after an abortion blamed on notorious Chicago abortionist Dr. Emil Gleitsman, age 76.

Marie, a mother of six, had gone to Gleitsman's office with two friends on January 5.

Gleitsman insisted that he had only been treating her for peritonitis for an abortion she'd already undergone before coming to him. However, two other women that Gleitsman performed abortions on testified that he had indeed perpetrated the fatal abortion, for which she'd paid $50.

While awaiting trial for Marie's death, Gleitsman was also held culpable during an inquest into the abortion death of a woman I call Maggie Doe. He was convicted in murder in Marie's death and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Gleitsman appealed on the grounds that he'd had an incompetent attorney, but the court ruled that he'd used the same lawyer before and thus had plenty of opportunity to judge him incompetent prior to the trail in Marie's death.

Gleitsman was also implicated in the abortion deaths of:
 * Lucille van Iderstine, 1927
 * Jeanette Reder, 1931
 * Mary Colbert, 1933

Sources:
 * "Doctor is Held After Abortion Death Inquest," //Chicago Tribune//, Jan. 29, 1942
 * "Convict Doctor of Murder in Abortion Case," //Chicago Tribune//, Oct. 31, 1942
 * "Dr. Gleitsmann Abortion Death Verdict Upheld," //Chicago Daily Tribune//, September 22, 1943
 * Supreme Court of Illinois, People v. Gleitsman, 72 N.E.2d 208 (Ill 1947)